AFTERNOON SHADOWS

Mar 12, 2026

Long shadows fall across the ivy covered ruins of an abbey. Standing casually in the tall grass among the ruins, a woman in a white dress with a windswept lavender sash rests one hand on her hip as she glances to the side. Her palm is upturned as if releasing a stream of pale butterflies that flutter up and away past a tall pointed arch in a sweeping S-shaped curve. — AFTERNOON SHADOWS (2006), Acrylic on Panel - 12” x 9”

Dedicated to my beloved mother-in-law Pat Larsen. “Mum” will never be forgotten.

Inspired by a ruined abbey I saw on the coast of England, this study is an exploration of feelings about the inevitability of time.

We erect monumental structures in an attempt to outlast the progress of the ages, but everything must pass in the end, whether it be the fleeting lives of butterflies or slow erosion of edifices of stone.

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Additional images from AFTERNOON SHADOWS

LEFT: Detail from AFTERNOON SHADOWS featuring a redheaded woman in a white dress standing in the ivy covered ruins of an abbey. She holds her hand palm up as if releasing a stream of butterflies that wind upwards in an S-shaped curve. RIGHT: Close detail from AFTERNOON SHADOWS featuring a woman in a white gown with a lavender sash tied at her waist. Her hair is red and short which contrasts the tall ruined wall of the abbey in front of her that is now overgrown with ivy. Through breaks in the wall we can see the calm sea but the sky over the horizon is gray with hints of orange. Above a thick cloud layer the sky is blue and bright, providing a different outlook depending on where you look. Her head is turned to the side level with the horizon as sunlight casts long shadows past her in the abbey. — Details from AFTERNOON SHADOWS

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